Life of Pi

I can’t have been the only one to watch the trailers for Life of Pi and wonder how this movie with some kid trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger was going to be so amazing, especially with its claims of being visually impressive. I even read the book and didn’t get it. But the film does deliver on both accounts, even if it isn’t quite the masterpiece it claims to be. Pi (Suraj Sharma) is the son of an Indian zookeeper who looks to move his business to Canada. But when the ship carrying them goes down in a storm, Pi is seemingly the only survivor with a handful of wild animals. Pi then must try to survive the elements and a Bengal tiger in a lifeboat.

As the entire story is told through flashbacks, the fact that the audience knows Pi will survive allows for hope among many of the sad and tough events that occur. Sharma, an essentially unknown commodity carries the film with a very descriptive performance that calls to mind Tom Hanks in Cast Away. He does so well blurring the line between metaphor and reality, which is essential. As for the film’s visual prowess, it definitely is impressive though some moments seem forced in order to present a cool shot. The glowing water and whale are one example of this.

Director Ang Lee presents a dramatic film in Life of Pi that is an impressive spectacle from the script to the editing. It could be shortened a bit, as is a frequent issue when adapting acclaimed novels to film. But a few hiccups in the pacing really go a long way in preventing the film from being accessible to a wider audience demographic. Life of Pi is interesting and unique, everything that is needed for an original movie. There’s always griping that Hollywood never does anything besides comic book movies and sequels. I suppose this is the fresh film those people are looking for.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.